Halloween International Film Festival 2017 Lineup Revealed

The 2nd Annual Halloween International Film Festival returns to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina this October 26-28, featuring more than 40 independent films from around the world, and the full lineup of 2017 Official Selections has been revealed with the complete schedule of screenings announced today.

Highlights of this year’s feature films include 3 Dead Trick or Treaters, an experimental anthology from Canada that features no dialogue, the gritty thriller Charismata from the U.K., the genre throwback Close Calls, and a new vision of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story in Steven Berkoff’s Tell Tale Heart.

Rounding out the feature film category is the sci-fi mindbender Future, the debut film from director Rob Cousineau, who will be in attendance at the festival, and the tale of a hungry cryptid in Sightings, from North Carolina-based filmmaker Dallas Morgan.

We also have a strong collection of 40 short films screening over the three-day festival, including the clown terror of Balloon, the gothic horror of Ceatures of Whitechapel, the awesomely fun Oh, The Effing Horror, hilarious horror comedies Blood Sisters from Australia and The Barber’s Cut from the U.K., and the U.S. Premiere of the stunning stop-motion animated The Funhouse Waltz from New Zealand.

In addition to the features 3 Dead Trick or Treaters and Future, both of which take place during our favorite holiday, the Halloween section of the festival also includes the short films Dark Roast, Samhainophobia, The Haunt, The Cute Girl’s Guide to Halloween, and They Live Inside Us.

There are a total of 13 films screening that were made in North Carolina, including four shorts filmed on the historic Outer Banks, where the festival takes place – the award-winning Lost in Buffalo City, the tech nightmare Let’s Go, the World Premiere of the animated music video The Cthulhu Candidate, and the World Premiere of a dystopian look at the future in The Transgressor, each with the filmmakers in attendance.

And that’s just the beginning, as you can check out the full schedule below.

All Festival film screenings will once again be shown at RC Theatres Movies 10 in Kill Devil Hills.

The 2017 Halloween International Film Festival will be followed by the largest Halloween celebration in Dare County,the 4th Annual Outer Banks Halloween Parade of Costumes and pre-parade party on Sunday, October 29 on the outside lawn at Kelly’s Restaurant and Tavern in Nags Head. The costume contest awards ceremony will follow the Parade. Admission to attend and registration to participate in the Halloween Parade is free.

The mission of the Halloween International Film Festival is to promote the artistry of independent films made in the spirit of creativity, support the future of cinema by providing exposure for talented visionary filmmakers, and celebrate a collective passion for Halloween.

2017 HALLOWEEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THURSDAY, OCT. 26

1pm – International Block One (0:58)

The Funhouse Waltz (Stop-Motion Animation; New Zealand; 20 min.) – WORLD PREMIERE – In a forgotten, abandoned carnival funhouse, the sins of the past are doomed to repeat their dark secrets for all eternity.

Ivy (Israel/Australia; 15 min.) – A short psychological horror-thriller about a man’s struggle to come to grips with his deteriorating mental state stemming from losing the love of his life. Rick is a young man living in a nice apartment who seems to be having difficulty going outside ever since his girlfriend mysteriously left. The people around him seem to be trying to push him toward leaving the apartment and moving on with his life, but not everything is as it appears to be.

The Stay (UK; 9 min.) – A young woman checks into a secluded holiday cottage and discovers that some vacations stay with you…forever.

Norma (Canada; 7 min.) – A young couple are terrorized by an elderly woman they discover in the backyard one night.

Pulse (UK; 7 min.) – A married man looking for an online tryst finds that someone is always watching, in this supernatural morality tale.

2pm – Sightings (1:30) – A sci-fi mystery about a dysfunctional family living on a ranch in TX who discover a cryptid in their woods. Ultimately they must overcome their interpersonal conflict in order to unite and survive. (Filmed partially in NC, from Wilmington-based filmmaker Dallas Morgan.)

4pm – NC Block One (0:52)

Murky Water (9 min.) – In the backwater swamps of the South, a rebellious preacher’s daughter has hell to pay when she conjures her dead mother’s ghost.

Nobodies (23 min.) – A career hitman, Jerry has come to dispose of one last victim before he disappears into obscurity and retires. But after he arrives at a secluded lake to dump the body, a twist of fate complicates matters when a panicked logic professor named William shows up at the same spot… to do the same thing.

Midnight Shift (20 min.) – Rural Sheriff’s Deputy, Sgt. Brown answers a call at an old farm house. He walks in the middle of an ongoing exorcism and must quickly decide whether to follow orders, or do what he knows to be right. Told through the deputy’s body cam footage, we follow Sgt. Brown’s call through to its horrifying conclusion.

Q&A with filmmakers following the screening

5pm – DINNER BREAK

6pm – OBX Block One (0:27) – Filmed on the Outer Banks

The Cthulhu Candidate (Music Video Animation; 3 min.) – Cameraman Toby Duncan was hired to capture Congressman Marsh’s campaign speech, but something sinister and old as time may just capture him.

Q&A with director/composer Alan PostScript following the screening

Let’s Go (8 min.) – A new virtual vacation app malfunctions.

The Transgressor (16 min.) – WORLD PREMIERE – In a society where music is outlawed, a young girl must choose between following the rules and following her heart.

Q&A with writer/director Victoria Duncan following the screening

6:30pm – MEET & GREET / PHOTO OPS

7pm – Creatures of Whitechapel (UK/US; 25 min.) – A brand new vision that brings together some of horror’s most iconic characters, Creatures of Whitechapel reveals the monster inside us all in this gothic love story of creation and madness. [MATURE]

7:30pm – Close Calls (2:10) – A troubled young girl is forced to deal with her crazy grandma and a psychotic caller when her father leaves her home alone. But before the night is over, Morgan must also face her own fears and inner demons when she believes everyone she knows is plotting against her. [MATURE]

FRIDAY, OCT. 27

1pm – Steven Berkoff’s Tell Tale Heart (UK; 1:21) – Steven Berkoff’s (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, A Clockwork Orange) own feature length interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s original short story about a servant who plots to murder his master because of his ‘vulture’ eye.

Tic (7 min.) – After experiencing an act of kindness from a stranger, a young pregnant woman is stalked in the middle of the night.

The Babysitter (30 min.) – After a breakdown leaves her expelled from her dream college, Katie Seger is left struggling to pick up the pieces. When an opportunity to babysit for a wealthy family on the outskirts of town presents itself, Katie sees it as a way to prove how much she’s moved on from the unfortunate incident. However, things begin to unravel as the night progresses, leaving Katie once again struggling to keep it together as she tries to make sense of the terrors she encounters.

Green Lake (36 min.) – Industry hasn’t destroyed all the sacred spaces in the world. In Hawai’i pockets of magic still exist. And so do those that protect them. Green Lake draws inspiration not only from the beauty and mysticism of Hawaii, but also from B-horror/monster movies, The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. It’s a micro-budget Creature from the Black Lagoon meets Picnic at Hanging Rock.

4pm – Horror Block Two (0:30)

Red Friday (10 min.) – On the night of Thanksgiving, Jess realizes they forget to get the toy elf to come the next day for their daughter Nikki. So she sends her husband in the attic to find an old toy elf her grandmother had, who’s been locked away for years. Then strange things start happening, and perhaps they should have kept that elf locked away after all.

Q&A with director Mark Allison following the screening

Photokill (20 min.) – A thief steals a camera that he later discovers contains photos of a hideous crime. Now he and his girlfriend fear they are the next target as the photographer seeks revenge. [MATURE]

Q&A with writer/producer Tom Bragg following the screening

5pm – DINNER BREAK

6pm – OBX Block Two (0:33) – Filmed on the Outer Banks

The Cthulhu Candidate (Music Video Animation; 3 min.) – Cameraman Toby Duncan was hired to capture Congressman Marsh’s campaign speech, but something sinister and old as time may just capture him.

Q&A with director/composer Alan PostScript following the screening

Lost in Buffalo City (30 min.) – Against better judgement and warnings from locals, eager reporter John Miller is investigating a series of strange apparitions and deadly encounters surrounding a long-forgotten ghost town in the dark coastal swamps of North Carolina. But his investigation uncovers something evil lurking in the ruins of Buffalo City, sinister forces that may wind up costing him his life.

Q&A with director Raymond Wallace following the screening

7pm – Horror Block Three (1:20)

The Armoire (15 min.) – A struggling actress moves to Hollywood where she discovers a piece of furniture in her apartment is haunted by a malicious ghost.

Adahy Tohopka (23 min.) – Stranded tourists either survive the ills of the Florida Everglades or become prey for a bloodthirsty savage. [MATURE]

Oh The Effing Horror (17 min.) – Chris and Luci are on a date, camping. A killer is on the loose in the woods. But, I’m sure everything will be fine. [MATURE]

In My Room (11 min.) – NC PREMIERE – A young boy has trouble going to sleep after watching a scary movie with his dad.

Q&A with director Michael Trainotti following the screening

8:30pm – MEET & GREET / PHOTO OPS

9pm – International Block Two (0:45)

Others Like You (Italy; 17 min.) – NC PREMIERE – Ester is a woman who has a strong longing to get pregnant. Following a surgical procedure, though, her family doctor and long-standing friend Greta diagnoses her with total sterility. Ester’s original desire thus becomes a growing obsession, and she starts having one-night stands hoping for a miracle. After the nth casual encounter, some early symptoms and a positive pregnancy test brings back the hope she had almost completely lost. When Greta, who also could never have children, learns about Ester’s pregnancy, she becomes mad with jealousy: she will do anything she can to make Ester face the same fate as her. [MATURE]

Fissure (UK; 13 min.) – Ten years ago, Kate and James lost their daughter when she disappeared in the park. Plagued by guilt and visions of that day, Kate retreated into addiction and self destruction. We join her just as she is starting to pull her life back together. When the nightmares return, she falls back to what she knows but this time believes the visions to be confirmation that her daughter is alive but ‘elsewhere’. [MATURE]

10pm – Charismata (UK; 1:37) – Rebecca Faraway fears she might be out of her depth. As a rookie detective struggling to find acceptance in a police department defined by a culture of bullying and intolerance, things go from bad to worse when the chief suspect in a series of brutal ritualistic murders takes a personal interest in her. A game of cat and mouse ensues which sees Rebecca’s grasp on reality beginning to spiral out of control, leading to a terrifying climax where she needs to fight for her sanity, her life, and maybe even her soul.
“Set in a bleak and cynical post-2016 London, Charismata combines a tense, fast moving police thriller reminiscent of Fincher’s Se7en with a nightmarish, paranoia-infused psychological horror story which tips its hat to Polanski’s classic Apartment Trilogy: Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Tenant‘. [MATURE]

SATURDAY, OCT. 28

1pm – Horror Comedy Block (0:31)

The Barber’s Cut (UK; 12 min.) – Two cut off but living heads wake up in a fridge and manage to escape while trying to avoid a psycho barber.

Restricted Diet (8 min.) – What is an African American woman to do when her home is invaded by a 600-year old vampire seeking her white roommate? Is the vampire a racist or just plain out of touch with the modern times?

1:45pm – Halloween Block One (1:15)

Dark Roast (20 min.) – It’s Halloween night and Vanessa and Nathan, members of the punk band Piss Bucket, have their biggest show yet. This could be just the ticket they need to leave their routine existence behind. All they need to do to make the show is kill time until the end of their shift serving coffee behind the counter of the Grind Haus. But when bodies start to drop and threatening phone calls from a psychopathic killer pour in they soon realize time isn’t the only thing being killed. To escape their mundane lives slinging coffee they’ll need to escape alive first.

The Haunt (25 min.) – The lives of the veteran cast members of The Haunted Manor are shaken, when the director decides to revamp the haunted manor, and make drastic changes.

They Live Inside Us (30 min.) – A writer spends the night in a notoriously haunted house in hope of discovering inspiration for his latest project. He soon realizes that he is living in his own horror story.

3:15pm – Future (1:26) – A drunken train-wreck of a time traveler offers a suicidally depressed tea store barista a do-over. The catch is, the do-over comes at a high price. [MATURE]

Q&A with director Rob Cousineau following the screening

5pm – DINNER BREAK

6pm – NC Block Two (0:51)

Ghost Image (7 min.) – When a ghostly apparition shows up in a photographer’s work, she’ll have to find a way to eliminate all cameras from her life or risk losing it to the thing that haunts her.

Goodman (10 min.) – A modern day adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown” from 1835.

Suppertime (6 min.) – Belly up to the table, and bring your appetite for horror.

Q&A with filmmakers following the screening

Table 51 (8 min.) – On the first day of her new job, Ms. Pepper learns from her mysterious employer the proper methods in dissecting an alien corpse.

Q&A with director Joseph Day following the screening

Little Angel (20 min.) – When a young woman’s car breaks down on a desolate road on a dark and stormy night, she fears the worst — no cell signal, no one around — until she sees the Little Angel Bed and Breakfast. Is this quaint house a safe haven from the night, or are the woman’s terrors just beginning?

Samhainophobia (5 min.) – A man attempts to face his fear with the one tool he thinks can stop it. Will he be successful?

8:10pm – 3 Dead Trick or Treaters (Canada; 1:14) – After stumbling upon the graves of three murdered trick or treaters, a small town paperboy discovers a series of handwritten horror stories tacked to the children’s headstones. Penned by a deranged pulp author driven mad by his craft, the stories chronicle grisly tales of Halloween rites, rituals, and traditions. Absent of dialogue and heavy on atmosphere, 3 Dead Trick or Treaters is a horror chiller unlike any you’ve seen before.

Showcase Selection

10pm – Surprise Announcement Coming Soon!

SUNDAY, OCT. 29

* PLEASE NOTE that the screening schedule is subject to change without notice. It is designed to be somewhat flexible. Some additional Q&As will be added following certain films as various special guests and filmmakers are confirmed, and some showtimes may be delayed as a result, while other unforeseen issues may cause certain screenings to be rescheduled. *

** Films noted as “MATURE” are meant for mature audiences only and should be considered as “Rated R”, usually due to language, nudity, adult themes, and/or graphic violence. **